Mike Tomlin says RBs will play in final preseason game Thursday night

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reiterated Tuesday that any discipline running backs Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount will face for being cited for marijuana possession during a traffic stop last week will be handled by the team internally.

"Like I told this group yesterday, that’s our business. It won’t come from me. I won’t talk in great detail about, you know, what we laid down in regards to dealing with the situation, but just rest assured that we deal with unfortunate situations in an appropriate manner," Tomlin told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Marcie Cipriani during his weekly press conference. "Hopefully those two guys will show what’s capable in terms of moving past it."

Tomlin added that both players will "absolutely" play in the team's final preseason game against Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, just as they did last week against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ross Township police said Bell, 22, and Blount, 27, were stopped about 1:30 p.m. last Wednesday on McKnight Road, near the Ross Shops plaza.

Police said a motorcycle officer smelled marijuana coming from a black Camaro driven by Bell and pulled the vehicle over. Inside the car, police said, the officer found a bag with an estimated 20 grams of marijuana.

Bell, Blount and a second passenger, identified as 21-year-old Mercedes Dollson, of California, "admitted to collectively possessing the bag of marijuana," police said.

BUT NEVER MOLESTED THE GIRLS. MEANTIME, THE JUDGE IMPOSED A GAG ORDER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIAL. AS STEELER NATION AWAITS POSSIBLE PUNISHM F TWO TEAMMATES CHARGED WITH DRUG POSSESSION, WE TRY TO GET SOME ANNA N AN T CHARGES, THE POTENTIAL IMPACT TO THE STEELERS, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF DISCIPLINE HAS BEEN ON THE MINDS OF MANY FANS FOR NEARLY A WEEK NOW AS THEY PREPARE FOR THEIR FOURTH PRESEASON GAME. I HAD A CHANCE TO ASK THE. LeGARRETTE, CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT THE CHARGES YOU ALL FACE AND ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY? YOU CAN ASK ABOUT FOOTBALL. Reporter: YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING TO THE FANS? I ALREADY SAID SOMETHING TO THE FANS. Reporter: ARE YOU AWAITING THE SUSPENSION? HERE TO PRACTICE. Reporter: NO MATTER HOW HARD I PUSHED INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM, LeGARRETTE BLOUNT REFUSED TO TALK ABOUT THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM, EVEN TURNING HIS BACK ON ME. HE AND TEAMMATE LE'VEON BELL WERE CAPTURED HERE ON CAMERA WHEN THEY WERE PULLED OVER BY ROSS TOWNSHIP POLICE FOR SMOKING MARIJUANA WHILE BELL WAS DRIVING. WERE CHARGED WITH DRUG POSSESSION. WITH DUI. THE MEN SO FAR HAVE FACED NO PUBLIC DISCIPLINE. I ASKED COACH MIKE TOMLIN WHETHER THEY WOULD. THAT'S OUR BUSINESS. IT WON'T COME FROM ME. I WON'T TALK IN GREAT DETAIL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE LAID DOWN IN REGARDS TO DEALING WITH THE SITUATION, BUT REST ASSURED THAT WE DEAL WITH UNFORTUNATE SITUATIONS IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER WHEN THEY RISE UP AND HOPEFULLY THOSE TWO GUYS WILL SHOW WHAT'S CAPABLE IN TERMS OF MOVING PAST IT. Reporter: THERE WILL BE DISCIPLINE BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO ADDRESS IT FURTHER? NOT AT ALL. Reporter: BOT RUNNING BACKS DID PRACTICE AGAIN TODAY, DESPITE THE CHARGES, AN UNCERTAINTY THAT CAN ALSO TURN INTO A DISTRACTION. TEAMMATES SAY IT WILL BE UP TO EVERYONE TO MAKE SURE THIS DOESN'T. GOING TO COME DOWN TO EVERY MAN TO HIS POSITION, GOT TO BE LEADING THEIR GUYS IN THAT GROUP. AS FOR BLOUNT, HE TELLS ME HE'S DONE TALKING ABOUT IT. I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT FOOTBALL WITH YOU ALL DAY. Reporter: COA TOMLIN SAYS BOTH BELL AND BLOUNT WILL PLAY IN THURSDAY'S LAST PRESEASON GAME WHILE WE AWAIT WORD OF POTENTIAL DISCIPLINE. STEELERS HEAS ON THE SOUTHSIDE, MARCIE CIPRIANI, PITTSBURGH 4. WE POSTED THE QUESTION ON WTAE.COM, WHAT DISCIPLINE SHOULD BE TAKEN AGAINST LE'VEON BELL AND LeGARRETTE BLOUNT. 18% OF YOU SAY A ONE-GAME SUSPENSION WOULD SUFFICE. 16% VOTED FOR A TWO-GAME SUSPENSION. LOOK AT THIS, 51% OF THOSE RESPONDING SAY THE PLAYERS